Solar thermal energy collection is used commercially for hot water heating and space heating. Typically a flat plate solar collector is utilized to absorb the solar energy onto a highly conductive flat sheet-metal plate, and the solar energy is transferred from the flat plate to tubes (typically copper) containing water or other heat transfer fluid circulating through the tubes, and the heat is exchanged for heating water. Other type of solar collectors for thermal energy systems include evacuated glass tubes, wherein the heat transfer fluid-containing tubes are integrated into the evacuated glass tubes to improve radiant heat absorption efficiency by reducing convective heat losses within the evacuated glass tubes. Evacuated tube collectors enable a higher temperature to be achieved compared to conventional flat plate collectors, but at some loss in heat transfer area relative to a flat plate collector of the same overall system physical dimensions. Solar electric photovoltaic cells are used commercially to provide electricity. A wide variety of materials that exhibit the photovoltaic electric effect are utilized in providing solar electric energy from solar electric photovoltaic cells.